


The Same Stuff as Stars

by prettylittlefears82



Category: Black Panther (2018), Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Hint at smut and then I distract you, Take this in place of 'Eerie Moments', consequences do not exist in this au, don't know what I was doing with that anyway
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:20:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27444757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prettylittlefears82/pseuds/prettylittlefears82
Summary: "...she finds joy in knowing that no one but the man on the moon can see them; that this moment is theirs and theirs alone."
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Shuri, James "Bucky" Barnes/Shuri
Comments: 6
Kudos: 16





	The Same Stuff as Stars

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by: https://wakandawinterprincess.tumblr.com/post/631988991212797952/not-me-thinking-abt-how-this-makeup-would-be-the
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't remember anything from "The Same Stuff as Stars" by Katherine Paterson. This isn't any type of cross-over or literary exploration or whatever y'all be doing.

Shuri considers her reflection in the mirror. Glitter sparkles like stars in contrast to her dark skin. It's a nice look; she'd say ethereal even. Like one of the goddesses in the paintings just outside of the throne room. Keeping them in mind she decides to leave her hair down. It's still in microbraids, but she figures that can be dealt with as the parts them straight in the middle.

A brisk knock comes from the front door. "Ten minutes!" someone - Shuri guesses is Esihle - calls out in Xhosa. The two Dora Milaje members assigned to she and Bucky this time around are Esihle: a stoned-faced, serious woman of about 40, and her personal favorite Luluma: a bubbly woman who's just about her age but has been with the royal family for quite a while now, quietly rising in the ranks. 

She assumes she likes Luluma so much because they both excel in their chosen areas of expertise despite all the odds stacked against them. Luluma's family comes from the outskirts of Wakanda, and most Dora members live and train in Birnin Zana their whole lives. 

Shuri's constantly lived in the shadow of her much older brother, sources even claiming the source of some of Wakanda's advancements were T'Challa. Until, of course, they were proven wrong. Now that she steps out of the shadow of Wakanda's dome, she has to prove herself again. Prove that while it's the most applicable substance on Earth, vibranium isn't the easiest to work with and she should be given her credit where it is due.

That's what tonight's about. A steady introduction of vibranium technologies and and wonders, with Shuri - its most successful engineer - as its representative.

She touches up her bold silver eyeshadow, smooths down her dress, and makes sure the flimsy strings are tied appropriately before putting on silver stilettos and heading out. Bucky, Luluma, and Esihle stand outside her doorway. 

"Don't break the door down, I'm ready." Shuri says with a smile, making sure the door is locked behind her. The exact reason she hates physical locks. So primitive is the checking and re-checking if they're locked. Really, back in Wakanda, even if you didn't lock your door with the simple wave of your hand, it wouldn't be that much of a problem. Crime has nearly been reduced to a hilt in her lifetime. It was one of her father's main concerns.

With a huff, she turns back around. The Dora are dressed quite similarly to the color scheme of their armor, though in the form of personalized dresses. A hint of gold for Esihle, and a few teasing openings for Luluma.

Bucky's also cleaned up nicely, as he always manages to do, in an all black outfit consisting of a black, velvet suit jacket and simple black dress shirt - two buttons undone. (She discreetly wonders what interactions he has planned for tonight.)

When she locks eyes with him and she swears he does a double take. A small smile plays on his lips as he looks her up and down. Esihle clears her throat. "Are we all ready to go?" she says in a clipped accent, the English more for Bucky's comfort than anyone else's. (Shuri does figure he's already learned Xhosa though. Or at least a good part of it.)

The other three of the party nod and they walk through the hall in a practiced formation, Esihle in front, Luluma in the back, and Shuri on Bucky's arm in between. As they walk through yet another ivory colored hall, she looks up at him, a cheeky smile plastered on her face. "So," she starts in a hushed tone, and his head turns to her, "How do I look?"

"I think you already know what I think."

She shrugs, bare arms sliding against his velvet sleeve. "I do like to hear it though."

His eyes dart behind and in front of them before leaning to her ear. "Heavenly." he whispers, his breath just a flutter over her ear, but the reverence with which he says the word gets through all the same. She has to bite her lip to keep from smiling even wider. 

A flutter sets up in her stomach before she replies, "I guess that's what I was going for."

"You did it well."

Shuri squeaks out a small thank you and looks him over once again. His skin glows and his blue eyes sparkle. "You look pretty nice yourself." she tells him.

His smile then reaches his eyes, corners creasing into little wrinkles. Of all his smiles, she loves these the most. She first saw them in a picture of him and Steve, decades and decades ago. If she thought it was nice then, well, in person and in the present it's a much different thing. She would even dare say quite attractive.

"I try."

She can tell. His short hair is parted to the side and fluffed up suitably. She resists the urge to slide her fingers through it herself, see just _how_ soft it is, and settles for a quick jab instead.

"It was about time for you to get off that farm of yours."

"And about time for you to get out of that lab."

Shuri only tuts behind a small smile in response. The next few minutes are a blur of elevator dings and fast-paced footsteps but eventually Luluma's pulling them out of the high security garage, Esihle in another vehicle behind them. The American security group a commissioner insisted they have leads.

They sit at an intersection, and Shuri clucks her tongue at all the car exhaust as Bucky checks his watch. As they turn onto a main road, the left side of the car dips. A pot hole.

Bucky's vibranium arm shoots out and straightens in front of her, his hand splayed against the car door. Unfortunately, he does this as soon as the jolt hits, so he's swung right on top of her. His palm is still against the door and his head ends up near her chest. He quickly looks up and they sit face to face, maybe centimeters apart as their combined, shallow breaths mingle.

The emotion she feels right now is one equation even _she_ can't solve.

Bucky sits up quickly as Shuri exclaims, "You people have got to fix your roads!" and just like that the spell is broken.

Luluma chuckles. "Excuse me if I'm wrong, your Highness. But I don't believe they have the funds."

Bucky scoffs as Shuri stretches to give her a high five. "Why don't you help out your fellow Americans?" she teases, leaning back to elbow him, "With proper budgeting _that_ ," she points to his arm, "should be enough to fix the whole neighborhood and feed it too." 

"Not a chance, sweetheart." Bucky replies almost instantly, flexing the metal digits. 

He looks at them with a fondness that shouldn't be normal. It isn't, but knowing him, Shuri leaves him to his thoughts. She looks out the window. It's getting darker, but there's not a colorful haze in sight. That's one of the only downsides to New York City in the late Summer, but the twinkling city lights make up for it.

"Hey, hey look!" Bucky says, hand rapping against her shoulder, disturbing her thoughts.

"Ah! What is wro-"

"Look," he points to a building just outside her window. He seems to confirm something for himself when he says, "Yeah, yeah, that's it."

"What?" Shuri asks as the car comes to a halt and she rubs her shoulder. She knows it won't bruise - Bucky wouldn't be able to live with himself if it did - but it still hurt. The man's strong.

"Remember the candy shop I told you about?" she nods, "Well that's where it _used_ to be."

She remembers a few of his stories about he and Steve's after-school endeavors at a city candy shop. He described it as if it were Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, candy and chocolate once lining every surface. They could only afford to go every once in a while, even after the post great depression recovery, but it was definitely a highlight whenever they could.

Shuri squints her eyes, trying to get a good look at the building in the fading daylight. "What is it now?"

Even though he might be over a hundred years old, she knows Bucky's eye sight is much better than hers. One of the many perks of being a super-soldier. "For sale." he replies.

"I could change that."

Bucky, for his part, actually seems to consider it. She sees through the act though. "Forget I said anything."

"No, no, it's not a bad idea, I just...kinda want to leave the past as it is." Shuri nods as the car continues with a soft hum. "Yeah, so just leave it alone. "

"Okay." Shuri huffs, and he turns back to his window before turning back sharply.

"Hey. Not behind my back either." he says, raising a pointed finger.

Shuri scoffs, "I would never." she says in mock offense, barely stifling back a laugh until Bucky shoots a lop-sided smile at her and it bubbles out.

"You know you would."

They spend the rest of the ride playfully going back and forth about everything Shuri had ever did after being advised not to, from setting Nakia and T'Challa back up - for good this time, as evident by the little family they've created in the palace - after one of their many breaks, to even designing Bucky's own arm, let alone actually building the thing.

Eventually, they pull up to a large building, almost completely made of glass from the looks of it. They enter, not without passing a large bunch of almost blinding lights accompanied by a swarm of paparazzi, reporters, and news outlets. As Bucky follows behind her, hand set tastefully on her back, he keeps his head down. Shuri, however, takes the attention in stride, flashing back equally blinding smiles as if she's practiced it her whole life.

In a way, she has, just never in this scale. In Wakanda, the commonfolk mind their business for the most part. Here, she and her party are the latest source of gossip. She finds fun in sitting with Bucky and prodding at the internet, finding out what new speculations there are.

Is she moving to the U.S. permanently? Is she working with Tony Stark? Is vibranium to be distributed in North America? Are she and her bodyguard (of which there are more than enough theories to fill a book, being the former Winter Soldier and all) simply _just_ close friends, or is there _more_ to their relationship?

That last string came from a Tumblr spiral one night, and she most definitely did not share the information, though she contemplated it. (She's yet to confirm nor deny the theory.)

They're ushered into the building where a plethora of Dora stand awaiting. She never was able to talk T'Challa out of the extra security. Hell, he even added more with Bucky, but his company she doesn't mind. In truth, she enjoys it a lot. Maybe too much, and sometimes she wonders if the Dora take offence to it but then she remembers, they're not employed to be her friends. Bucky, he's her friend.

And as the hustle and bustle of preparation continues around them and she looks around the building in awe and just a little fear, her friend's hand slides off her back and into her own, squeezing lightly. "You're going to do great." Bucky reassures her.

(It's at this moment Esihle walks in, and confirms that prior suspicions weren't without reason.)

When formalities end, the night is young. Everyone seemed happy with the information she'd given. Even the American scientists, which she'd heard were quite hard to please. She hasn't an inkling why though, they have nothing to show for it. But this thought she keeps to herself, covered with polite smiles and small talk.

She glides through the room, hyperaware of every eye on her, both because this is really _her_ night and for other reasons she doesn't want to dwell on. (She's technically at work. Indulging in such interaction wouldn't be appropriate.) 

And of course, there's another watchful eye on her. Bucky.

And just like always, she can _feel_ him. Feel his eyes on her as she makes rounds through the room, creating small talk with diplomats, statesmen, and the like. Even if she doesn't feel it, she knows he's still watching, whether it's over his shoulder or behind a crystal glass. He's always on edge, that man.

Shuri remembers one day someone had managed to pull her into a corner, somewhere the bright lights of the gala no longer shined. One wrinkly hand scaled her arm and she was seconds away from using the pocket version of her gauntlets - concealed that night in her bracelet. But Bucky was there even sooner, mumbling hollow apologies to the man and pulling her by the elbow.

Ever since then, she looks out for him whenever someone gets just a little too close, and he's _always_ there.

Like now, so she says her goodbyes to a London representative and makes her way the ten foot distance to Bucky, who looks bored to death as he not-so-subtly tries to exit a conversation with some babbling politician. He was never one for politics, she's noticed. Ever the soldier, he prefers a gunfight to diplomacy - if such a thing even exists in his eyes anymore.

He seems to take a breath of relief as she loops her arm into his, plastering on a smile and telling the other man that, "Duty calls!". Never the wiser, he responds with a "knowing" look and a tilt of his head before heading to bother an unlucky passerby.

They walk out to a balcony some stories down and on the other side of the building. Below the fancy railings and on the ground are spreads of greenery that Shuri can barely see through the dark. Twinkling stars dot the night sky, only outshined by the bright moon.

Bucky stands a little ways in front of her when she lets go of his arm, and he looks up at the lights. She lets herself look at him - and then she feels the same exact feeling she felt earlier though this time, the equation is much simpler.

"Bucky." she calls, and he turns to her. "I'm not imagining this, am I?" she motions between them.

"Are you talking about..."

She tilts her head to each side contemplatively. "Whatever's going on between us. Because I don't kn-"

He steps closer. "If you're imagining it, then so am I."

She finally takes the breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. "So we're on the same page?"

The thought of their little fairytale makes her smile. It _is_ as he breaks into a grin, teeth almost as bright as the stars shining above. It is as he tilts her head up and looks at her again; really looks a her. Takes in her sparkling appearance, the way her skin glows in the moonlight.

"I've wanted you for a long time, sweetheart."

She reaches to the nape of his neck. "Show me..." she whispers, watching his blue eyes darken. _So_ , so blue they are. The eyes that watch over her, admire her, and now, ask her a simple question. As if the answer isn't obvious they ask, "May I...?" and Shuri answers yes with a small nod of her head.

He leans in and their lips meet, and it's so natural, almost...almost like it was meant to be just like this. She doesn't care if anyone finds them but still, she finds joy in knowing that no one but the man on the moon sees them; that this moment is theirs and theirs alone.

Shuri's never believed in soulmates, and the like, but the moment when she gets her first taste of him probably changes that. He tastes like the white wine she'd seen him sipping on earlier, maybe even a hint of vanilla - or that could be her own lip gloss, at this point they're one and the same.

One of his hands grips her neck as the other stays firm on her hip, fingers pressed dangerously low. His tongue swipes at hers in the same steady pace as his thumb kneads small circles on her hip. The metal feels cool through her thin dress, just another dose of adrenaline to the mix. Her hands wind up in his hair (just as soft as she imagined) and when she tugs, it gets a bit more frantic.

It's a push - more, _more_ , somehow with his body pressed so close and his tongue basically shoved down her throat she _still_ wants more. A pull - of her bottom lip briefly between his teeth, of his hair through his fingers, and finally a pull away.

They both take in shallow breath as their foreheads rest together. Eyes illuminated by the moonlight, they flourish in each other's adoring gazes. Shuri doesn't stop the slow smile that stretches her lips right then. She wouldn't even if she could. But then she sees Bucky glance back at the gala for a split second. 

"Oh, we're definitely not going back there." Bucky's eyebrows raise, "Actually..." she puts a finger up and backs up as he unwraps his arms from around her. She's suddenly reminded how cold it is in the thin dress. And speaking of the dress:

"It has pockets. _Concealed_ pockets." Shuri reveals excitedly. She presses on one of her necklaces and a cover seems to lift from the dress a few particles at a time. In a few seconds it looks exactly the same, save for two large pockets on the side. From one she pulls out a circular piece of glass. It fits right into the necklace she takes off.

"And to think, I thought you'd finally worn something normal." Bucky says lightly, stuffing his hands into his own pockets.

"Is normal really the word you'd use to describe this dress?" Shuri asks, not looking up from the glass, now being used as a tablet, "Because your eyes," she looks up at him now, "Were saying something _completely_ different all night."

He steps closer to her, "What are you trying to start, doll?" he asks.

"Did being in New York bring that one back? _Doll_..." she mocks, eyes back on the tablet.

"Answer my question and I'll answer yours," he counters, " _Doll_."

Shuri lets out a small humph, but answers anyway. "Remember when I said we're not going back there?" she motions to the building, the festivities inside seemingly days ago now. He nods. " _That's_ what I'm trying to start." she answers, looking back up at him with her eyes narrowed.

Bucky licks his lips and in an equally daring tone says, "I'd like that."

After making sure they look somewhat presentable, they make their way back down the hallway, arms linked. Somehow Bucky's still so far away though, so she lets her hand fall and loops her fingers through his.

He looks up and smiles at her, giving a small squeeze as they pass the door to the festivities they've chosen to leave behind. The only person that looks toward the entrance, of course, just has to be Esihle. Shuri catches a split second of her disappointed gaze and makes a mental note to come up with an excuse for later, though she has a feeling there's no getting around this one.

They pass through many more doorways and hallways before finally making it to an elevator. This might be the only structure in the building that isn't transparent - designed to cover the many cords and wires of the contraption. Shuri could have done better in her sleep, but she thanks the mistake as the elevator dings and she pulls Bucky inside. 

She hooks her fingers in his hair once again, and after pushing a floor button, uses the other hand to pull him towards her as she backs up into the lift. He dutifully follows, just until her back hits the wall. 

They've got limited time before the elevator opens to the busy main floor, and they both know that. Bucky pulls her towards him by her longest necklace before sliding his hand upwards to grasp her neck. The other sits comfortably on her waist before he makes the sudden decision to change gears and lifts her upwards, and she wraps her legs around his waist as if instinctively.

Her dress rides up to reveal bare skin, and the slightest peak of lacy white panties. He trails his fingers over one leg as she moves his face towards hers, and Shuri counts about ten seconds left before she dives in. 

The calm, testing nature of before is gone, leaving only urgency and desire. His lips envelope hers before opening, swiping his tongue over her bottom lip. She opens up and there's nothing else but him. His lips, his tongue, the scruff of his beard against her face. Her orbit might as well end right here, because her galaxy has been reduced to a single entity; a single star. His light already scorches her completely, but she wants to burn.

She slides a hand underneath his jacket, tilts her head even more inwards-

The elevator dings.

He sets her down as she struggles to catch her breath and smooth her braids and dress back down. It's a short walk from the elevator to the exist, where they find the Uber she called. Going from is much faster than to, but maybe it has something to do with the little game they play in the backseat, Bucky poking and prodding at her skin as he tests just how quiet she can be. The driver never looks back once, and she's glad for it when they manage to sneak a kiss.

The receptionist at the hotel doesn't question them arriving back alone, or if he does he doesn't mention it. They scale the building as fast as they can, Shuri's heels click-clacking as she's follows Bucky's lead, one hand never leaving his as the other holds up her dress. They decide to land in her own room, quickly shoving the door closed behind them as Bucky lifts her up and carries her to a chaise in the corner of the room, tongues entwined the whole time.

The fabric of her dress bunches up at her hips, and if it rode up any further it'd reveal the thin lace of her panties. Bucky takes heed of this and his flesh hand disappears under the cloth, tracing over the soft patterns. He pulls away from her and places a light kiss on the corner of her lips before starting a trail across her cheek and down her neck, where he sucks and bites. She tosses her head back and can't help but whimper.

"Baby," he rasps, sending a shiver down her spine. The endearment is overused, but coming from him in that moment - voice tight with what can only be lust - he might as well have coined the term; just for her. If she hasn't been undone already, that definitely does it.

She's overwhelmed _. Incredibly_ overwhelmed. She turns and puts both hands on his neck, pulling them face-to-face. She just wants to look at him, really _see_ the man that-

 _Bast_ , she loves him doesn't she? A goofy grin spreads across her face as she figures the answer to her question.

"Look at you." he revels, jaw gone slack on her now ruffled appearance. Shuri guesses his heart, which she places a hand over, swells with some good old masculine pride seeing what he can do to her. Then she notices a smudged sparkle across his upper lip and maybe - just maybe - her heart swells a little too.

"Hmm?" she questions, biting her lip.

"You're gorgeous," he answers simply, as if his opinion is a pure statement of fact, "But you already know that, don't you?" he says, pulling her in for yet another kiss.

This is a quick one; open-mouthed, fierce - just to quickly quelch the desperate thirst that arises now whenever the other is near. That's really been there all along, unseen, maybe even disguised. (It has been, as gratitude and loneliness, but they won't admit that.)

When they pull away his eyes are alight with mischief. " _Oh_." she says, little more than a breath as he hoists her up and starts walking. Her legs grip his waist instinctively as he shifts her upwards and presses her bottom on top of his forearm. Each of her arms stretch out on either of his shoulders as she presses her face in the crook of her neck and closes her eyes. Each step he takes jolts her nose even closer to him, and she breathes in the deep musk of his cologne. 

She hears a door open and he stops. She feels him move his neck, and then his breath is torturously close to her ear. "Let go, love." Bucky whispers.

Well, that's certainly a new one. _Love_.

Shuri giggles, drunk on the smell of him and, of course, the aforementioned love. She unwinds both legs and straightens them as he holds her up by the waist until she's gotten control of her balance and steps onto the ground. Feeling cool tile under her toes she looks around to realize they're in the bathroom.

Arms still strung over his shoulders, she looks up at him, tilting her head to the side and raising one eyebrow. As her own hands drop his turn her towards the hung plane mirror.

" _Look at you_." he repeats, watching her inquisitive expression in the mirror.

She does. Shuri watches her reflection, the way the soft light bounces of her skin and dress and even she'll admit she looks _radiant_. (Out of the corner of her eye she watches the way Bucky looks at her - like she hung the moon and stars contains the whole universe in her lithe body.)

His hands work their way from her shoulders to her waist, fumbling somewhere at her back until all of his movements stop. "I'm going to rip this in, like, two seconds if you don't help me out here."

His hands are messing with the strings on the back of her dress. "Now we wouldn't want that, would we?" she agrees, lightly swatting his hands away to do it for him. When she's done, he slides the straps off her shoulders and the dress falls to the ground. Shuri here's the sharp inhale of Bucky's breath as she steps out of the clothing and nudges it away with her foot. When she meets his eyes in the glass, his expression almost scares her. At first.

To put it simply, he looks like he could eat her alive - and Bast and all other deities be damned, she thinks she likes it. (She knows, she knows she likes it.)

He bites his lip as his eyes trail down her form, hands locked on each of her wrists. His gazes traverses from the mirror to her body in sharp glances - down her back, across the expanse of her stomach, the curve of her basically bare ass, and the swells of her breasts.

"You're gonna kill me." he mumbles, working at the buttons of his jacket.

"Wouldn't it be a nice way to go though?" Shuri quips as he throws the article onto the ground. He does away with his dress shirt as well.

He drags his palms up and down her arms before making place on her biceps. "Yeah, yeah it would." are his last words before he drags his tongue from her shoulder to the crook of her neck and higher, stopping just below her ear when he groans, seemingly sending a message straight to her core.

Her head falls to the side and his lips meet her throat, sucking at different patches until he finds that oh-so-sweet spot that leaves her sighing, then moaning. She closes her eyes, enveloped by bliss. "Open your eyes, sweet baby. _Watch_." he murmurs against her neck. She opens her eyes to meet his in their reflection.

He continues the mapping of her features, placing small pecks on her jaw as his right hand holds her still. She's pressed right up against him now, the skin on skin contact pushing her back against the brick wall feel of his chest. His metal arm sits on her stomach, pressing her _even_ closer until she can feel the imprint of his growing erection against her ass.

His lips travel even more, aiming to plant another kiss on the corner of her mouth when she turns just in time to catch them. She feels his cool vibranium fingertips turn her around to face him. He lifts her to the top of the counter, making sure to slide over so that she doesn't land in the sink, all the while gracing her mouth with his tongue. He pulls away to unclasp her bra, tossing it somewhere to the side. Her breasts sit free, dark nipples hardening in the chill air.

Bucky gives her one last admiring look, eyes wide and dilated, before bringing one to his mouth.

* * *

Soft lips and quicksilver tongue, he worships the Gemini, as he should.

There's no where for him to go but a certain crater, right? Well, that's where he crashes anyway.

The surrounding formations are not nearly as nice; or kind. The darkness, it should consume them, leaving nothing, not even a trace of their existence (or: once, happiness). But it doesn't.

They still fly together, seeing stars and bursts of light.

The supernova, it creates life - well, okay not _now_ , but maybe another time. For now, it's just the two of them.

They're made up of the same stuff as stars, and _Bast_ , some nights does it feel like it.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> Full smut sold separately. (Release is currently tbd, it's in the works.)
> 
> Anyway, I really hope I did wwp's little spiel justice. Feedback is always very much appreciated. Have a wonderful day/night!


End file.
